In This Issue: January 2015

The New York Times printed an article detailing a timeline of opioid use and abuse. The most recent spike in opioid use and abuse started in the 1980s when two medical journals published articles declaring that prescription opioid addiction was a rare occurrence and opioids were appropriate for a wide range of pain conditions. In the 1990s, the American Pain Society coined the phrase ‘fifth vital sign’ to measure a patient’s pain level. As a result, guidelines were developed and adopted by many state medical boards recommending opioids as standard practice to treat pain.

By the 2000s, opioid abuse problems were becoming more common, prescriptions were issued for high dosages, and drug diversion increased. Within that decade, it was revealed that some pharmaceutical companies, falsely touting their safety and efficacy, encouraged writing opioid prescribing. Recent developments show that only half of the patients receiving opioids benefit from them and some pain specialists are now opting for physical therapy and acupuncture to treat pain. The article ends with a recap of government actions and policies that are being employed to stem the epidemic. Read the ARTICLE.